McCordsville is a rapidly growing community in the NE corner of Hancock County.  As a historically rural farming community there is not an identity to the Town, and it became clear that a dense central gathering spot, a true downtown, was needed.  The Town is ready to move this vision forward by developing a Town Center, called McCord Square.  The Town will build their new Police Station on the southern parcel of the project. The project includes construction of over a mile of trail/sidewalk and 15 acres of open space that the Town will be able to activate through Parks programming.  READI will be used for certain infrastructure construction packages along with the Town bond.  These include concrete, roadway paving, light poles, on-site amenities, irrigation, landscaping and demolition.  
The estimated costs of Phase I is $8.5 M, which includes, infrastructure, including stormwater detention, naturalized water features, trails, utilities, roadways, and open space, and the construction of two mixed-use buildings and one commercial building.  The town is providing $5M in upfront investment in the public infrastructure through a TIF bond.  The project is expected to start in August of 2022 with anticipated completion in January of 2024.

READI grant funds will be utilized for the engineering, design, and construction of White River Park which will create a unique opportunity for the Region with trail connectivity for Fishers, Indianapolis, and Carmel and help protect the natural resource of the White River.  Design and Engineering for White River Park will start in the spring of 2023 with construction in the fall of 2023 and construction completed in December of 2024.  White River Park will have significant impact to the region and Indiana’s quality of place and life by its unique features such as bikes and ropes course and a hammock grove making it a regional draw as these amenities are not found elsewhere in the area. The City of Fishers has committed to funding a new roundabout next to the park for better pedestrian and vehicle access that is part of the project.  With the addition of a roundabout for this area along 96th Street and Allisonville and White River Park, private investment is expected to spur more development.  White River Park will increase connectivity by paths and trails from neighboring areas and communities thus decreasing vehicular traffic, incentivizing recreation, and promoting cleaner air for the environment.  The project website can be found at https://www.playfishers.com/581/White-River-Park

The Zionsville Gateway Area (ZGA) project represents an underutilized area of downtown Zionsville which lacks the same sense of place as the adjacent Village area. It is a southern entry point and major gateway into the downtown area.  The challenges in this are the existing traffic pattern which creates congestion, a lack of walkability and connectivity, and a lack of parking.  The ZGA project will reduce traffic congestion and traffic speed throughout the downtown area, support the creation of public plazas and greenspaces, support connection to adjacent trails, pedestrian paths, Eagle Creek and the overall White River watershed and support the creation of amenities such as public restrooms and multi-use structures.  The funds will be used to support the preliminary engineering for needed roadway and pathway improvements and open public outdoor space areas. The project is estimated to start in September 2022 and be completed in June 2024.

The READI grant will fund the White River Greenway North Extension Project, which includes the construction and engineering of an approximately 1.5-mile extension of the existing White River Greenway in Carmel, a new trailhead parking lot, public restrooms, and a scenic overlook of the White River. This trail will connect Conner Prairie’s west-side expansion to four scenic parks along the river, enhancing the quality of life and wellbeing of residents and visitors to the region. The free public access trail is expected to have nearly 200,000 users annually once open to the public in December of 2023, with traffic anticipated to increase significantly as the district continues to develop. Key components of the project are identified in and align with the White River Vision Plan, Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan, Conner Prairie Site Master Plan, and Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Plan. The project will provide direct linkage between the cities of Carmel, Fishers, and Noblesville, and is further connected to the region through existing trail networks that interconnect with the Monon and Nickle Plate trails. The project is expected to start with design and engineering development in May of 2022 with construction completed in November of 2023.  The White River Greenway North Expansion is a project of Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation with development to occur adjacent to the trail by Conner Prairie and City of Carmel.

The Employ Indy and partners seeks to build up registered and earn-and-learn apprenticeships in the City of Indianapolis through the EmployIndy Apprenticeship Model. This project will help job seekers (both youth and young adults) access valuable experiences leading to a pathway on an in-demand industry. These funds are specifically tailored towards creating shared supportive services to build a learning network based on local expertise and diverse economic environments and will expand to new registered apprentices ages 16 and over. Currently the program is available in Marion County, but this proposed expansion can scale the program to all counties in the WR-ROI, leading to increased pools of skilled candidates, greater access to family sustaining wages, and improved talent alignment. READI funds will be used to support the salary and wages of EmployIndy staff as they expand apprenticeships locations and support the technology necessary to keep the project on track (such as project management software and our CRM). This is expected to take place between April 2022 and December 2024. Matching fund commitments have been made by the City of Indianapolis, US Department of Labor, Ascend and others. We aim to prioritize employer partners located within 16 Tech Innovation District and the boundaries of the physical Nickel Plate Trail project, though employer partners will not be limited to this vicinity.

The City of Indianapolis is requesting funding to design and construct a pedestrian bridge along the Nickel Plate Trail. The pedestrian bridge is part of a larger project to extend the trail from a connection with the Monon Trail at 42nd St. North to 96th St. This project will provide a regional connection for the Nickel Plate Trail between the City of Fishers and the City of Indianapolis, providing significant non-motorized transportation and exercise options for residents. One of the major safety concerns of the project is the crossing of Keystone Avenue, which is a heavily traveled corridor within The City. A pedestrian bridge would provide a safe crossing for pedestrians, while allowing safer operation and increased usage for this important regional trail. Funds will be used for the bridge design with construction funded locally. Preliminary engineering funded by READI grant dollars for the pedestrian bridge would start in October of 2022 with anticipated completion in the fall of 2025. The construction of the pedestrian bridge with local funds will start immediately in the fall of 2025 with completion expected in 2026.

Canal Village (CV) is a multi-site, clustered, single-family home site development in the northwest area of the Riverside neighborhood along the Canal, in the City of Indianapolis just east of the White River and Riverside Regional Park. The overarching goal of this phased revitalization approach is to enhance the quality of life of families in need of newly constructed, affordable, and workforce-integrated housing that is overlaid with "smart" technology and inclusive economic development solutions. We will target 20% of the homes for those with disabilities, including families experiencing homelessness. BWI has developed a methodology to increase the disposable income of low-income residents by holistically designing energy-efficient housing, installing smart energy solutions that leverage gaming technology, and developing transportation solutions that don’t require residents to own their own vehicle. This design methodology will be tailored uniquely for Canal Village residents. Ultimately reducing rents, decreasing utility bills, and providing alternative transportation solutions will allow the average Canal Village resident to increase their disposable income by 30-50%. READI grant funds will be used for Lot Development Costs, Sanitary Sewer improvements, Engineering and Design, and Construction and Bidding Administration.  The Project began in March of 2022 with construction completion anticipated in December of 2023.

Riverside Amphitheater and Water Quality Improvement project is a two-phase project consisting of a new public park, relocation of two water mains and the elimination of two combined sewer overflows into the White River in Anderson.  READI grant funds will be used for the construction of the 2 water main relocations to include erosion control, water main relocation, mobilization and demobilization, site work prep, dewatering, soft costs such as engineering fees, permits, inspection and legal fees. The project will eliminate approximately 19 million gallons of combined sewage from entering the White River which is 2.61% of the total CSO overflow.  There will be 97 fewer overflow discharge events from these 2 CSO points which results in a reduction of 14.2% of overflow events. The two CSO's will eliminate millions of gallons of combined storm/wastewater form the White River flowing south to Hamilton and Marion Counties. Approximate timeline is January 10th, 2023 to December 30th, 2025. Anderson will provide local match of $4,800,000.

The White River region, including 3 counties and eight vibrant communities, is anchored by the state capital and is home to a population of approximately 1.5 million. The White River region received $20 million in total READI 1.0 funds.

Region Overview:

White River

List of Counties:

Projects in White River